By a Correspondent
Zimbabwe’s schools are facing renewed scrutiny after two teachers were implicated in separate sexual abuse cases involving learners, prompting a leading child rights organisation to warn that the country’s child protection system is failing the very children it is supposed to protect.
Within a month, two educators have found themselves at the centre of serious allegations. St David’s Bonda High School teacher Anesu Mautsa allegedly fled after being implicated in the sexual abuse of a female learner, while Simon Muzerengi, the deputy headmaster at Claremont High School in Nyanga, was reportedly caught engaging in a sexual act with a female student.
The incidents have reignited debate over whether Zimbabwe’s schools are doing enough to protect learners from sexual predators operating within the education system.
Responding to the latest cases, Shamwari Yemwanasikana executive director Ekenia Chifamba said the repeated allegations against teachers expose glaring weaknesses in child protection mechanisms.
“Cases involving teachers abusing learners continue to emerge despite existing laws and school policies. It says a lot about the effectiveness of current child protection systems in schools and where there are gaps,” Chifamba said in an interview with National Interest News.
Shamwari Yemwanasikana is a community-based organisation that advocates for the rights and empowerment of girls.
Chifamba said while Zimbabwe has laws and school safeguarding policies, many remain ineffective because they are poorly implemented and weakly enforced.
“The continued occurrence of sexual abuse by teachers indicates that having laws and policies alone is not enough. The main challenge lies in implementation, accountability and enforcement. Many schools have child protection policies, but these are not consistently understood, monitored or applied,” she said.
She said the organisation has identified critical weaknesses, including inadequate screening and vetting of school staff, limited child protection training for teachers and school administrators, poor monitoring systems and the absence of confidential reporting channels that children can trust.
“There are delays in investigating allegations and taking disciplinary action, as we have seen in most cases. There is also poor coordination between schools, law enforcement, child protection services and health providers, and this needs to be strengthened,” she said.
Chifamba said safeguarding children requires more than policies filed away in offices.
“It demands prevention, early detection, prompt reporting, accountability and comprehensive support for survivors as part of everyday school operations,” she said.
She warned that many victims never report abuse because they fear intimidation, victimisation, stigma or being ignored.
“Most children are more likely to report abuse when they believe they will be listened to, protected and taken seriously,” she said.
She urged schools to establish confidential, child-friendly reporting systems, appoint trained child protection focal persons and ensure every allegation is handled professionally while protecting the privacy of victims.
Parents, she added, also have a critical role to play by maintaining open communication with their children, educating them about their rights and supporting them when they disclose abuse.
Chifamba called for swift investigations and prosecution of offenders, saying delays only undermine public confidence and place more children at risk.
She also renewed calls for Zimbabwe to establish a national sex offenders register to prevent convicted offenders from returning to positions of trust involving children.
“We are hoping that Zimbabwe can establish a sex offenders register. There is already work being done in that direction, and it would help strengthen child protection efforts,” she said.
According to Chifamba, the damage caused by sexual abuse extends far beyond the immediate incident, with survivors often suffering long-term psychological trauma, anxiety, depression, diminished self-esteem and disrupted education.
She said survivors require access to medical treatment, trauma counselling, legal support and programmes that enable them to continue their education without discrimination.
Chifamba challenged the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to move beyond policy formulation and ensure child safeguarding measures are rigorously enforced in every school across the country.
“We would like to see the ministry fully enforce child safeguarding and protection policies in every school, institutionalise mandatory child protection training for teachers, school heads and non-teaching staff, and establish safe, confidential and child-friendly reporting mechanisms,” she said.
She also called for stricter teacher recruitment and vetting procedures, stronger comprehensive sexuality education and increased investment in school-based psychosocial support services.
“As a society, we must prioritise children’s safety, uphold accountability and ensure that every learner has access to education in a safe, protective and enabling environment,” Chifamba said.
The latest allegations have once again raised uncomfortable questions about whether enough is being done to root out sexual abuse in Zimbabwe’s schools, where teachers are entrusted with shaping young lives but, in some cases, stand accused of exploiting the very children in their care.
